Track-sanding device.



PATENTED- AUG. 25, 1903.

J. H. HANLON. TRACK SANDING DEVICE. APPLIOATIONIILED FEB. 12, 1903. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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UNITED STATES Patented August 25, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

HALF TO WVILLIAM J. HANLON, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

' TRACK-SANDING DEVICE.

l SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,228, dated August 25, 1903.

Application filed February 12, 1903. Serial No- 143,025. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,'JOHN H. HANLON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Somerville, in the county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Track-Sanding Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide a track sanding apparatus more especially adapted for use on locomotives which shall be simple and relatively inexpensive in con-' struction, durable and efficient in operation, and adapted for use in locomotives for passenger, freight, or switch service without modification or alteration, which may be conveniently and quickly cleaned if it becomes clogged, and by means of which the sand used may be taken in whole or in part from any portion of the sand-box from which it is desired to take it. The invention will be readily understood from the following description, in which reference is made to the accompanying'draw ings, and in the claims at the close of this specification I have pointed out and clearly defined the novel features thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view. of a portion of a locomotive-boiler with the sandbox thereon and my invention applied thereto, the walls only of the sand-box being shown for greater clearness. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modification hereinafter re- Fig; 3 is a detail in horizontal section, showing a sander in position on the, side of the sand-box and showing a portion of the air-delivery tube, as also of the sanddelivery tube, in position. Fig. 4 is a similar detail in plan view, but showing a modified form of connection with the sand-delivery tube. Fig. 5' is an end View, looking from the right of Fig. 4, of the connection with the sand-delivery tube, as shown in said Fig. 4.

Having reference to the drawings, A designates a portion of the locomotive-boiler with a sand-box B thereon.

1 designates the sand-delivery tubes, which extend from the sand-box to a point near the rail in front or behind the wheels of the locomotive.

What I shall term the sand-collectors are shown at 2. These sand-collectors are preferably metallic castings formed to fit the interior of the sand-box, as shown, and having slanting holes 3 formed therein, which communicate withthe interior-space 4. (See Fig. 3.) The holes 3 open into the interior of the sand-box, so that sand which may be in the box may pass through the said holes 3 into the inner space 4 within the said sandcollector 2. The said holes 3 are sufficient in number to insure an adequate supply of sand collector 2, so that sand passing through them is moving toward the opening of the said delivery-tube and in the general direction of the current of air which issues from the airdelivery tube 5. I prefer to arrange these holes substantially in two rows, as shown in Fig. 4.

A supply of air underpressure is provided by means of the pipe 6, the said supply of air being under the control of the engineer. The tube 6 is connected in any well-known manner, as by means of a T-shaped union 7,with the air pipes 5, which lead from the said union 7 to the sand-collectors 2. The airpipes 5 are provided with suitable unions of well-known construction and are connected with the central chamber 4 of the sand-collector 2 by means of a screw-plug or bushing 8. (See Fig. 3.) The end of the air-pipe 5 projects inwardly into the chamber 4 of the sand-collector 2 and is provided at its inner end with a nozzle-plug 9, having a small central aperture 10, by means of which a fine stream of air may be delivered to the chamber 4 in the direction of the opening or end of the sand-delivery tube 1. This plug 9 is so placed within the chamber 4 that its end with the aperture 10 for the delivery of airis between the two rows. of sand-inlet holes, as is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. The

space 4 is substantially conical in shapethat is, it is larger in diameter at the outer end, where it connects with the sand-delivery tube, than it is at the inner end, which connects with the air-pipe. That portion of the said opening 4within which the said air-pipe is located is only a little larger than the diameter of the said pipe, so that a comparatively small chamber is formed around the said pipe 5. The end of the air-pipe 5 is also provided with two or more openings, preferably three, (shown at 11, Fig. 3,) through which fine streams of air may issue. In this way when air under pressure is forced into the chamber 4 a strong current is formed which passes into the said sand-delivery tube and which moves past the inner ends of the sand-openings 3. This air under pressure expands as it passes into the larger portion of the chamber 4 within the sand-collector, and it serves to draw in the sandthrough the sand-inlet holes 3 and to force it into and through the sand-delivery tube 1.

The casting 2, which I have termed the sand-collector, is placed inside the sandbox and is securely bolted to the wall thereof, as shown. A hole is cut in the wall of the sand-box opposite the interior space 4, and the connection or end of the sand-delivery tube is passed through the hole and screwed into the threaded outer end of the interior space 4 in the sand-collector, as shown at 50, Fig. A check-nut 12 is preferably provided on the connection or end of the sanddelivery tube, and by setting this nut up against the outside of the sand-box the sandcollector is held firmly in place. In addition to this and for greater safety and strength I prefer to employ bolts 13, which pass through the sand-box on each side of the sand-delivery tube connection and which screw into sockets in the sand-collector and are provided outside the sand -box with wedge shaped washers 52, nuts 14, and check-nuts 15, by means of which they are firmly secured in place. These bolts serve to secure the sandcollector rigidly to the sand box and to strengthen and secure the whole construction. In case it is deemed desirable to still further increase the strength of the construction I provide a union or connection 16, (see Fig. 4,) which is preferablya casting of metal and which is firmly bolted by means of the bolts 13 to the outside of the sand-box, the said bolts 13 serving to clamp the sand-collector 2 and the union 16 firmly together onto the wall of the sand-box. The union 16 is provided with suitable means for connecting it with the sand-delivery tube. I prefer in most cases the use of this union 16, since it affords a ready and convenient Way of getting at the sand-collector in case it becomes clogged. To this end the hole for one of the bolts 13 is cut away, as shown at 17, Fig. 5. This permits the loosening of the nuts let and 15, freeing the connection 16 at the union which connects it with the sand-delivery tube and then swinging the said union 16 on the bolt 13, which is opposite the opening 17, and thus exposing the opening into the chamber of the sand-collector, so that the same may be cleaned or examined. By this means in case the sand-collector becomes clogged it may be cleaned or examined very quickly and the parts again put in operative condition.

It will be noted that the location of the sand-collector at the wall of the sand-box is rendered very desirable because of the ease and quickness with which it may be cleaned or examined without disturbing the interior of the box.

As will be clear, the union 16 is not necessary to secure the advantage above noted of easy and convenient access to the interior of the sand-collector, since the same result may be obtained by providing a short connection of the sand-tube 1 where it joins the sandbox with a union, as at 51, Fig. 2, so that the said short sections may be, disconnected and removed in case it is desired to clean or examine the interior of the sand-collector. It will also be noted that the engineer or operator may assure himself positively of the operation of the sand-collector before he replaces the union 16 or the connection with the sand-delivery tube by simply turning the air-pressure into the sand-collector and noting whether the sand passes freely therefrom.

For passenger-engines a light stream of sand is usually desired and for freight and switch engines a heavier stream. This modification in the stream or amount of sand delivered I am enabled to make without changing the construction of my device by simply reversing the position of. the sand-collector in the sand-box-that is to say, in passengerengines, where a light stream of sand is desired, I should reverse the position of the sandcollector 2 as compared with the showing thereof in the drawings, turning the sandcollector 2 over, so that the sand-openings 3 open downwardly toward the floor of the sandbox instead of upwardly, as shown in the drawings. When thus reversed, the sand discharged through the sand-delivery tube is drawn upwardly through the sand-inlet holes 3 by the suction of the air from the air-pipe 5, whereas when the holes 3 are open upwardly, as shown, the sand is not only car ried to the delivery-tube by suction of the air, but also by the weight of the sand which passes down through the sand-inlet holes 3.

When, therefore, both gravity and the suction of the air are operating, a larger and heavier stream of sand is carried from the sand-box into and through the said deliverytube to the track than when the air-suction alone is operating, which happens when the sand-collector 2 is reversed, as above stated. In addition to the two positions above referred to the sand-collector may be placed in any position intermediate between these two, in this way obtaining any desired variation of the amount of sand which the sand-collector will receive and deliver. I consider this adjustable feature of my invention very important.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a modification of IIO my device, in which tubes are inserted in the inlet-holes 3 of the sand-collector, thereby, in effect, extending those inlet-holes to any point in the sand-box from which it may be desired to draw a portion of the sand. clear, by varying the lengths of these tubes the sand may be drawn from any desired portion of the sand-box, or by providing some of the inlet-holes 3 with tubes, while others are not provided with tubes, the sand may be partly drawn from that portion of the sandbox in proximity to the sand-collector and partly from remote portions of thesand-box.

In describing the construction and connections of the sand-collector 2 I have referred to a sand-collector at one side of the sand-box B, which connects with one of the sand-delivery tubes. As shown, Figs. 1 and 2, the opposite side of the sand-box is provided with a sand-collector, which is connected in the same manner with a'sand-delivery tube at that side of the engine. As will be clear, as many of these sand-collectors as may be desired may be employed, although I have found two, one for each side of the engine, to be suflicient, since connecting-pipes may be employed which will deliver sand in front or at the rear of any of the wheels.

It is to be noted that the inner chamber 4 in the sand-collector is large enough at its outlet end, which is nearest the wall of the sand-box, to accommodate the largest-sized sand-delivery tube which it may be desired to use, while at the same time it may be readily bushed down to accommodate the smaller size of sand-pipes should that be desired.

An important feature of my invention is found in the frictionless character of the device, by whichl mean that the sand moves with the air jet or current without passing around sharp curves or being directed against any .portion of the walls of the sand-passage. As is well known, sand under the action of a jet of air will quickly wear away metallic parts with which it comes directly in contact, thus necessitating repair or renewal. The construction of my device is such that wear from the friction of the sand is reduced to a minimum and the life and durability of the device increased.

What I claim is-- 1. Inapneumatictrack-sandingdevice, the combination of a sand-box, a sand-collector therein within which is an air-chamber expandingin diameter toward its discharge end, means for the admission of compressed air at the small end of the chamber, means for the admission of sand to the said chamber, and a sand-delivery pipe leading from the large end of the chamber, substantially as described.

2. In a pneumatic track-sanding device, the combination of a sand-box, a sand-collector therein within which is an air-chamber having a plurality of sand-inlets, an air-pipe noz- As will be zle projecting into-said air-chamber and provided with lateral air-discharge holes discharging into said chamber at the inner side of the sand-inlets and a sand-delivery pipe leading from the said sand-collector at the other side of said inlets, substantially as described.

3. Inapneumatic track-sandingdevice, the combination of a sand-box, a sand-collector therein Within which is an expanding airchamber having a plurality of sand inlet holes, an air-delivery nozzle projecting into said air-chamber at its small end and provided with lateral airdischarge holes delivering into the smaller part of said chamber around said nozzle, and a sand-delivery pipe leading from the large end of the said sand-collector,

substantially as described.

4. In a pneumatic track-sandin g device,the combination of a sand-box, a sand-collector therein within which is an expanding airchamber having a plurality of sand 4 inlet holes slanting in the direction of the movement of the sand, an air-delivery nozzle projecting into said air-chamber at its small end and provided with lateral air-discharge holes delivering into the smaller part of said chamber around said nozzle, and a sand-delivery pipe leading from the large end of said sandcollector, substantially as described.

5. In a pneumatic track-sanding device,the combination of a sand-box, a sand-collector therein within which is an air-chamber having on one side a plurality of sand-inlet holes communicating therewith, an air-pipe entering the said sand-collector, and having an end air-discharge aperture and aplnrality of radially-arranged air-discharge apertures; and a sand-delivery pipe connecting with the said collector, substantially as described.

6. In a pneumatic track-sandingdevice-,the combination of a sand-box, a sand-collector therein within which is an expanding airchamber having a plurality of sand-inlet passages slanting in the direction of the movement of the sand and entering the said airchamber at a point forward of the air-discharge holes in the nozzle, an air-delivery nozzle projecting into said air-chamber at its small end and provided with lateral air-discharge holes delivering into the smaller part of said chamber around said nozzle, and a sand-delivery pipe leadin g from the large end of said sand-collector, substantially as described.

7. In a pneumatic track-sanding device,the

combination of a sand-box, a sand-collector therein within which is an air-chamber having on one side a plurality of sand-inlet holes communicating therewith and being adapted to receive at one end an air-pipe nozzle and at its other end a sand-delivery pipe, a plurality of sand-inlet pipes communicating with the said sand-inlet holes; an air-pipeconnecting with the said collector at one end, and a sand-delivery pipe connecting with the collector at the opposite end, substantially as set forth.

8. Inapneumatic track-sandingdevice, the combination of a sand-box, a sand-collector therein, an air-pipe and nozzle connecting with the said collector at one end; a sand-delivery pipe connecting With said collector at its opposite end; and a removable union by which said delivery-pipe is attached to the o l sand-box and collector, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN H. I'IANLON. Witnesses:

WM. A. MAcLEoD, ALICE I-I. MORRISON. 

